Brandon,
I am going to echo what has been said, but also provide an insight of what my position as a Lead Instructor (TCFSI) at an ATP location and oversee a handful of instructors and dozens of students.
Completing ATP’s program with a 100% record should be your goal from day one, talking about checkride busts and failures shouldn’t even be a discussing of possibility, but here and there we do see failures. Sometimes as students we feel nervous or scared to face the Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) who will evaluate our flying ability. It is our responsibility as instructors to ensure that a student is as fully ready to take that practical test. Before every checkride we have forms that we must have the student sign stating that they are aware and have met the standards of the Airmen Certificate Standards (evaluation criterion) for their checkride.
At successful completion of ATP’s ACPP in good standing and no bad remarks, you are given a form to fill out with an opportunity to choose multiple locations (or first available) to instruct for. Now granted that your training center isn’t on a waitlist, I have been seeing graduates get offers for locations and indoc within a month. I have one student that recently completed the program late January coming back the middle of this month. In the pilot world you have to be open-minded with base locations, if you’re willing to travel to another state and give it a go, there are opportunities for transfer requests when they open up.
Chris answered your number 2 question. One thing to note is you will hear negative feedback across the board on social media or maybe from an Instructor at a training center stating they’re not being paid enough, etc., but the name of the game isn’t to make the most money as a CFI. It is an entry level position similar to working at a grocery chain or a restaurant. There are many regionals that are offering tuition reimbursement and opportunities to earn a little more on top of what ATP pays. Here’s a direct link to find the Partnered Airlines that ATP has established relationships with: Airline Pilot Hiring Partnerships.
As a CFI at ATP, you are also eligible to instruct the new Virtual Ground lessons called Elevate that are for both the Private and Instrument phase where you can make $75 a night doing a 3-hour virtual ground…this is something new that ATP recently came out at the end of last year. This is also a great opportunity to connect and broaden your knowledge teaching material that may be less of a strength and really. Like Roscoe mentioned, you can also proctor exams for Airmen Knowledge Test (AKT) which are required to take specific checkrides.
Being a CFI for is a full-time job, ATP ensures that student to instructor ratio is manageable and that you as an Instructor can adequately spend time with your student to ensure that their needs are met. When I began instructing for ATP I had one student, we are generally seeing across the board that your first student is in the Instrument phase as this gives you an opportunity to adjust and get some experience under your belt before feeling nervous teaching someone to land for the first time; Not everyone is a born natural CFI. I was getting around 40 hours a month average with my first student my first month, as I got a second and third student, I started seeing three-digit numbers, but this was with a lot of work ethic and determination to make my schedule work.
As a Lead Instructor for a training center, I oversee 7 (soon to be 9) instructors and nearly 20 students at the training center, with many more inbound. I ensure that my team members are giving quality and exceptional instruction to ensure the success of our students. I do a lot of “scrubbing” of student’s programs to ensure that consistency of training is being met and quality is being delivered. I am an open line of communication between student and instructor, I like to know what is going on in training center and being the “first-line of defense” for everyone…if I can prevent things from worsening, I will drop what I am doing and put attention to detail. When a student falls behind, I don’t look at someone else, I look at myself and figure out how can I help get a student back on track and what action needs to take place. Sometimes it’s just weather and plane unavailability that sets someone back a day or two, but if someone doesn’t pass a written, I will sit with them and come up with a gameplan to ensure success.
I do coordinate with a Training Support Specialist to ensure that our training center is taken care of both administratively and plane availability. Sometimes I need help, I’m one person and if an evaluation flight needs to happen and I’m reaching my 8-hour instructional limit I reach out. I schedule my week out about two weeks in advance sometimes, others I have to wait for my team members to schedule to make mine.
I love instructing at ATP, I just recently updated my thread “Checking in Ground Level” announcing my signing with Republic Airways RJet Cadet and 1,000th hour…the opportunities are endless at ATP. I came to this forum in September 2019 with the intention of one day pursuing a dream into a reality. I have met so many amazing people from and through ATP where I feel I have an ongoing list in my phone of “Flying Family” that I update daily. If I can think of anything I miss over the weekend I will reply.
Brady